The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-12-17
PRISON LIFE IN JAPAN.
A Country Where Offenders Against the
Law Are Treated Ba~rbar0usly.

l "a SOu8lGt VhtCAo 6"s's S"~
Law Arc Treated Barbarously.
MI. Baba's description Of the prison
life of Japan shows an extraordinary
degree of brutality in the system.
1.-The Kajibashi prison." he says,
sis situated in a central place Of the
capital, Toxic. and is under the direct
control of the Minister Of the Int rior.
The building is two stories high and
made in the shape Of a cross. In each
story there are forty cages. making
eighty cages in all. Each cage is nine
feet square. The japanese Govern.
ment manages to keep many prisoners
in this prison for two or three years
without any public trial. Each cage
generally contains ten Or eleven pris.
oncrs, who eat and sleep in this small
box. Or. perhaps, it is better to say
the prisoners try to sleep heaped up
one over the other. There are al
ways from eight hundred to nine hun.
dred prisoners kept in this way.
Many become sick and some die. ]
have seen two of the prisoners die
within six months. But l am sur.
prised that, considering the bad sani-
tary system, want of exercise. bad
food and drink, etc, SO few die. |
I'M told more prisoners die after they
come out of the prison, where they are
sustained by a sort of excitement.
"The outside of each cage is pros
tected by a strong wooden frame. The
frame itself becomes a door to let tho
prisoners in or out. The side facing
the yards has alarge window, protects
ed with all iron frame, of which the
door must not be closed without the
permission of the officials, even in the
seyerest winter nights. Thus it is a
common occurrence that prisoners are
covered with snow. At the corner OF
this cage u small tub containing water
for the purpose of drinking and wash
ing is placed beside two wooden ves-
sells for sewage purposes. The water
is impure as we'll as filthy. The food
furnished to the prisoners consists of II
small quantity of a mixture of rice
and oats, about a quarter of y pound. |
served sometimes with three pieces Of
pickle or with boiled vegetables.
Although they give meal three times a
day the quantity is so small that the
prisoners become as thin rs skeletons.
There is an arrangement made
which is supposed to be for the benefit
of the prisoners. The friends of the
prisoners are permitted to send a
quarter of a pound of meat once a
day. but several absurd formalities
must be gone through with be-
fore prisoner a get this
meat. Generally the meat is sent away
II one makes q very slight error,
such rs failing to mention the particu-
lar prisoners name, or his place of
residence, or the date of his arrest.
The most of the prisoners have no
means OF communicating with their
When they are arrested the
spy or police tell them
that they need not bring any money
with them, as they will be sent back to
heir homes in u few minutes. When
hey go to tho prison they are Kept
here six months at least During this
line. if they have any money to pay
postage, they are permitted to send
heir letters; but if they have h
money, no letter II be sent by public
They are never permitted ic
'cc their friends until the Judge of .
secret examination makes up his mind
o send q prisoner to the court of pub.
ic trial. The secret examination lasts
me year. and sometimes three years.
Even when the judge of n secret CT.
decides to send the case to
public trial the prisoner can not :
to his friends unless he has
money. So in many cases he can not +,
obtain the help Of n lawyer. Thus il q.
$ q farce to say that the japanese :
vernment gives q fair chance ia
prisoners to defend themselves before !
1,n conrj of iusticn